The music program for The Village Trip 2025, a smorgasbord of delectable events that reflect downtown’s diverse musical heritage and honor its rich musical melting pot. A showcase of new and established talent – esteemed young string quartets ETHEL and Bergamot on the one hand, beloved Village Trip Artist Emeritus David Amram, a walking talking history man, on the other.
A premiere of David’s latest work, Five American Voices, opens the festival, a song cycle commissioned by baritone James Martin celebrating the multifarious voices of America’s cultural mosaic. We celebrate also the Poets of Patchin Place, Djuna Barnes and ee cummings and their circle, in an imaginative program curated by Victoria Bond. Later in the week, Poetica Musica shines a light on some of the great 20th-century musicians who took inspiration from the Village, among them Piazzolla and Gershwin.
We look east with Gamelan Yowana Sari and friends at St. Mark’s in the Bowery. With Damien Sneed, we revel in the gospel music that helped drive the civil rights movement. Other concerts explore the legacy of unsung 1960s singer-songwriters, and the origins of Bob Dylan’s magical Rolling Thunder Revue, which kicked off at Gerdes Folk City on October 23, 1975.
Honoring the Legacy of Leonard Bernstein
Our opening weekend features two very special concerts honoring the legacy of Leonard Bernstein, no stranger to the Village’s crooked streets. Proceeds from both will benefit Artful Learning, the extraordinary teaching model founded by Jamie’s brother, Alexander Bernstein, whom the Bernstein family lost in July. Artful Learning's thriving model puts Leonard Bernstein’s own philosophies of education into practice, galvanizing students and teachers into becoming co-creators.
Image: Leonard Bernstein with his wife Felicia and (from left) children Nina, Jamie and Alexander, at home, 1965
Family-Friendly Orchestral Concert
On Saturday afternoon, Classical Cool! hosted by Nina Bernstein Simmons features a family-friendly program which includes works by Bernstein and Saint-Saëns' whimsical favorite Carnival of the Animals performed by The Village Trip Festival Orchestra conducted by Victoria Bond. Nina, the youngest of Leonard and Felicia Bernstein's three children, narrates.
Bernstein Remix!
And on Sunday evening, Jamie Bernstein, the eldest, brings together a star-studded gathering for Bernstein Remix! At The Loft at City Winery, you’ll experience the glorious music of David Amram, Edmar Castañeda, Darius de Haas, Fred Hersch, Janis Ian, Sharon Isbin, Eric Jacobsen, Pete Malinverni, Queer Urban Orchestra, Janis Siegel, The Ahn Trio with DJ Spooky, Tony Yazbeck… And who knows who else! There will be some surprises, and you won’t want to miss a single beat!
And in these testing times, let’s take to heart the Maestro’s words from “The Principle of Hope,” his 1970 welcome address at Tanglewood:
“It’s the artists of the world, the feelers and thinkers, who will ultimately save us; who can articulate, educate, defy, insist, sing, and shout the big dreams…”
We’re thrilled with our program and hope you will be too. We can now reveal a few more bonbons:
A seventieth anniversary performance of Allen Ginsberg’s ground-breaking poetic masterpiece Howl, performed by Justin Jay Hines (percussion) with master jazz improviser Kirk Knuffke (cornet) at the Bowery Poetry Café.
A screening of Michael Jacobsohn’s acclaimed documentary The Cornelia Street Café in Exile featuring David Amram, Arturo O’Farrill, David Massengill, Suzanne Vega, Cliff Eberhardt, and many others whose careers were launched on the Café’s diminutive basement stage.
A whole range of walking tours
– including Michael Catapano on The Italian Village, Michael Salgarolo on the strange and hilarious life of Chinese-American author H. T. Tsiang, and Marc Kehoe on John Sloan and the Ashcan School.
The Village Trip Lecture
The opening weekend will include The Village Trip Lecture, delivered this year by Clay Risen, New York Times journalist and author of Red Scare: Blacklists, McCarthyism, and The Making of Modern America. Plus ça change, it sadly seems.
Free Concert in Washington Square Park
The closing weekend, as always, includes The Village Trip’s signature free concert in Washington Square Park. Taking the stage: Kennedy Administration, who’ll be celebrating the launch of their third album, and Dali Rose, a 22-year-old with a terrific musical pedigree who’s just released his debut EP.
Art Show
Freedomland! The Village Trip Art Show will open on September 16, just ahead of the festival proper, with a party for all those artists whose work is selected for exhibition, as well as friends of The Village Trip. Don’t forget to get your entries in!
And do please consider a donation. However modest, please know that your money makes a big difference to our small non-profit. Every cent goes to performers and production costs – the organizers all volunteer their time. And remember, The Village Trip is a 501(c)3 nonprofit.
We can’t wait to welcome all you angelheaded hipsters!
Liz Thomson & Cliff Pearson
Joint Artistic Directors